Minnesota Timberwolves' Derrick Williams guards Portland Trail Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge during the first quarter of their NBA game Monday in Minneapolis. Aldridge led the Blazers with 25 points and 13 rebounds.Hannah Foslien/Associated Press

The Blazers built a 19-point lead then withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally to defeat Minnesota for the third time this season. With the 100-98 win, the Blazers improved to 25-23 on the season and started a six-game trip with a victory.

Timberwolves tormentor:Wesley Matthews, who came close to sitting out Monday night's game, continued to torment the Timberwolves with another hot shooting night. Matthews, who entered the game averaging 28.0 points and shooting 63 percent from the field in two meetings against Minnesota, finished with 22 points and five assists. He was questionable up until tipoff because of a sprained right ankle but it didn't show as Matthews scored 16 first-half points and made 6 of 9 shots, including 4 of 7 from three-point range. In three games against the Timberwolves this season, Matthews has made 14 of 21 three-point attempts.

Aldridge has a do-it-all night: All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge had one of his most complete outings of the season against Minnesota, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Aldridge, who did almost all of his scoring from the perimeter, made 12 of 17 shots. He also had a clutch block on a potential game-tying shot from Ricky Rubio in the closing seconds.

Wrist issues: Nicolas Batum, who has been playing with a sore right wrist for more than two weeks, had another hesitant, pain-filled outing. Batum aggravated the wrist with 6:20 left in the first quarter when he blocked an Andrei Kirilenko layup attempt and it clearly bothered him the rest of the game. During one Blazers possession in the second quarter, Batum was wide open behind the three-point line -- no Minnesota player was within five feet -- and he didn't want to shoot. Eventually, after a long pause, he did and missed. Batum attempted just four shots and finished with just four points.

Road reversal: The Blazers' ended a four-game road losing streak with the victory at the Target Center and improved to 8-15 on the road this season. The eight road wins equal the number the Blazers recorded all of last season and they still have 18 road games left. It was a solid start to a six-game trip that Aldridge has labeled "make or break."

Turnover trouble: Perhaps the only black eye of the night for the Blazers was their careless and sometimes sloppy execution of the offense. With a mix of shaky passes and offensive fouls, the Blazers committed an NBA season-high 28 turnovers. It was just the fifth time this season they have finished with 20 or more turnovers -- first since Dec. 22 -- and just the second time they've won such games. The 28 turnovers led to 33 Minnesota points.